AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’s been working you hard. That’s a good girl,” Sandra quips.
Jakob, for the first time ever, looks like he might pass out from embarrassment. Sandra eyes Jakob with suspicion as she loads up her gourds and takes my money.
“Silent type, eh?” she says. “Well, once you’re done with her, make sure you offer your services to the mothers group that haunts the coffee shop this time of year. They need less pumpkin spice and more pumpin’ and poundin’, if you ask me.”
My face so red I’m starting to sweat, I hook my arm through Jakob’s and drag him as far away from Sandra as fast as I can.
“Let’s go,” I chirp.
Jakob snorts an adorable laugh. “Where are you taking me?”
“Coffee,” I say, gesturing to the shop on the corner. All this talk of exercise—not to mention last night’s activities—has made me hungry for lots of carbs. Portia’s Pastries and Coffee is displaying fresh croissants in the window. “So you can meet your next pumping and pounding clients,” I tease.
“Oh my gods,” Jakob groans.
I give a low harrumph as we pass the group of moms, who stop and stare at Jakob, and make our way to the line to place our order.
As I squint at the chalkboard menu, Jakob circles his arms around my waist from behind. He leans down and murmurs against my skull, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that was jealousy coming off of you right now.” His breath warms me and sends tingles zipping over my scalp and down my neck and spine.
I turn toward him, and he catches my mouth in a soft, sweet kiss. Closed mouth, no tongue, but oh-so-lovely. I’m very grateful Jakob understands decorum when it comes to public displays of affection.
I just wish he could let loose a little more in private.
Someone clears their throat, and when I look back at the counter, the barista is waiting on us with a wry grin.
I feel like a silly schoolgirl who’s out in public for the first time with a new boyfriend. I suppose that’s exactly what this is. The only difference is I’m fully grown and everyone is staring.
“What can I get you, Jo?”
Jakob’s arms around me tighten when the young, handsome barista addresses me by name. Ha. Now who’s jealous?
“Sesame honey mocha, iced, whole milk. Large,” I say.
“Same for me,” Jakob says, burying his face in my neck, not bothering to look at the menu.
“Don’t you have a coffee drink preference? They have everything,” I say.
“If you like it, I want to try it,” he says.
This is going to take some getting used to.
We take our coffees to go, and Jakob tells me that we should do what I would normally do on my day off.
“Well, I like to visit the bookstore,” I tell him. “I usually stock up in the fall because winter can be pretty harsh around here.”
“Perfect,” he says. “Let’s go.”
We reach Bargain Books at the end of the block, and the owner, J.D., lights up when I come inside.
“I have a stack ready and waiting for you, Jo,” J.D. says.
I bounce up and down on the balls of my feet as J.D. produces a stack of craft books and slides them across the counter in my direction. I flip through them excitedly. “Crochet Creatures,” I exclaim, cooing over the design patterns to create tiny woodland squirrels, birds, and foxes with wool and crochet needles. There’s also a cookbook with nothing but fruit tarts with flavorful crusts like lemon rosemary shortbread and gingersnap and sea salt.
“This is making me hungry,” Jakob says.
I smile up at him while I thumb through the recipes. “I’ll make one of these for you tonight,” I say.
This earns me a quick kiss on the forehead. “You’re good to me.”
